Reaching Out To You
by StoryReader888
Summary: Rojo Kira has no interest in doing much of anything that requires a lot of effort. Her interests are lacking, and she hides her emotions behind a blank mask. But she wasn't always like that. Can her twin brothers, and a few tennis brats break her shell?
1. Chapter 1

Rojo Kira followed the pathway toward the tennis courts in Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, the _ponk_ of the balls growing louder with every step she took. School had ended a while ago, leaving only the after school clubs behind. More specifically, the famed tennis club that the junior high students seemed to go nuts over. The high school division had a tennis team, as well, but they didn't have as much fame as the middle schoolers' team got. The reason for that was simple. While the middle school did have other sports, tennis was their main one. It was a big deal though, with all the trophies they've won, I guess you could see why. The high school, however, offered more sports, evenly spreading out the student body to cheer for each one equally; not one was more important than the other. Kira wasn't too sure why it worked out that way, but she summed it up to the fact that high schoolers are more angsty, and need more choices at outlets they can use to vent their frustrations. Middle school was difficult, but _nothing_ compared to high school. It made Kira glad that this was her last year.

One thing Kira had noticed about the fans at Rikkai, was that they were not at all as crazy as everyone believed. Sure, there _were_ a few delusional nut jobs that believed they could win the love of their beloved _regular-sama_, but most of the kids who cheered and supported Rikkai, were doing it because they loved the team and wanted them to win. At Rikkaidai, it was all about rising together as one to annihilate the enemy. It was as simple as that. Still, Kira thought it a bit stupid to give the regulars so much popularity just because, well, _they were regulars_. It's completely pointless, but her opinion didn't really matter in this case. She did not attend school with them, so she couldn't voice what she thought. And she thanked Kami-sama that she would never have to share a school with them, because when they graduate to high school, she'll be graduating to life.

Kira's eyes scanned the crowd around and on the tennis courts, searching for a mess of fire-engine red hair that belonged to her younger brother, who was in his second year of middle school. He often stayed behind after school to watch tennis practice, even though he wasn't part of the team OR the cheering squad. He simply enjoyed watching it. That's not to say that he didn't play, but it was on a more hobby basis; it was something he did when he was bored or needed something to pass the time. Really, the Rojo family wasn't a very sporty family. They loved to _watch_, but playing one was just too much effort that could be spent sleeping or just lazing around. At least, that's how the Rojo _children_ are. They can't be bothered to do anything unless they _want_ to, or are ultimately _forced_ into it.

Kira walked up behind her brother, who stood at four feet, ten inches, and set a hand on his hair, which had recently been dyed. The boy was originally a blonde, but because he wanted to try something different, he somehow managed to convince his mother to let him dye it when he started his second year. Finally, she caved and gave into his begging – probably just to get him to shut up. It stood out glaringly against his personality. But he had been set on the idea of going with red since the day his big sister came home with blood red highlights.

Rojo Kaizen looked up at his big sister, his usual bored-calm expression in place. "You're early, nee-chan."

"Did you forget? We have to go pick up Kaoru, since Ryuuka-san can't do it." She ruffled his already messy hair lightly. "You said you wanted to visit Seigaku again, right? If not, you can walk home with one of the regulars. You said before a couple of them live near us, right?"

"Kirihara-kun does. And I don't think Sanada-san is too far away, either. But yes, I would like to visit Seigaku. I want to see Eiji-kun again."

Kira didn't want to imagine how bouncy and _loud_ the cat-like third year would be when he saw that Kaizen's hair was about the same shade as his own. She pushed the image away from her mind as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder, leading her brother to the gates. Ryuuka-san, Kira's stepmother and the twins' birthmother, was usually the one who went and picked up Kaizen's twin, who attended Seishun Gakuen in Tokyo, but since she was busy, it was Kira's job to get him instead. It had been a while since the two had visited Seigaku, so it was questionable how the regulars would react to the pair. Maybe they could slip in and out without being noticed? The pessimistic side of her brain told her not to count on it.

About fifty-five minutes or so later, the pair found themselves entering Seigaku's gate. No student was in sight, but the sound of tennis balls being hit told them what direction to go in. Like his younger twin, Kaoru liked to watch tennis matches, but he wasn't on the team himself. He had been asked several times by Seigaku's team, but he declined each time. He had his sights set on the baseball club, but he had yet to make any effort to join. The twins were a lot alike, especially in looks – the only way you can tell them apart now is by the color of their hair - , and their personalities only different slightly.

Kaizen was… well, _bland_ for lack of a better word. He always bore the same bored-calm expression, never changing it no matter what situation he was in. He drawled when he talked, always taking on a board tone. His voice stayed the same pitch, no matter what the situation – the only exception to that is when he's crying, which isn't very often. His hair, now an almost blinding red, was short, but his bangs were long, often hanging in his liquid silver eyes, which he had inherited from his mother. Because of this, he often keeps them pinned to the side and out of the way with bobby pins.

Kaoru was quiet. While he often shared the same expression as his brother, it _did _change. He wasn't as rude as his younger twin, and was very kind to other people, especially where their feelings were concerned. He was more social, as well, and people seemed to be attracted to him like magnets, even though he doesn't go out of his way to make bonds with people. He's a lot more responsible and mature, though he tends to take on too much, and never can stand up and say it for worry that he'll let someone down. His hair was still the same blonde color that he had been born with, the same length as his brothers, but parted to the side instead of pinned back.

Rojo Kaoru's eyes shifted to the pair when they approached and he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder with a small smile. "Hello, nee-chan, nii-chan."

"How was school?" Kira asked softly, pushing away a few strands of hair that had fallen out of place. Kaoru was also the weaker of the twins, despite being older. He got sick easily, and spent most of his childhood in and out of the hospital. She believed that was the reason behind Kaizen's distant nature; he had been really scared that he was going to lose his brother.

"It was good. Ryoma-kun nearly got trampled today by fangirls, but thanks to Momo-chan's quick reflexes, and Inui-senpai's threats, the fan club retreated back to their respective classes."

"You've never taken anything from that guy, have you?" Kaizen questioned blankly, his bored gaze set on the elder twin.

He quickly shook his head, causing more strands of his blonde hair to cover his eyes, which he brushed away before speaking. "Iie. Oishi-senpai and Tezuka-buchou forbade Inui-senpai from offering his juice to anyone outside the tennis club."

"I still don't trust him. You should have a talk with him, Kira-nee-chan."

"I agree."

Kaoru's cheeks tinted pink at the overprotective nature of his siblings, but he couldn't help the smile that broke onto his lips. "You don't have to worry, I'll be fine, really."

The pair exchanged a look, but before they could say anything else, a loud '_Hoi! Look, Echizen!_' caught their attention before Kaizen was engulfed by a red blur. He now lay sprawled on the ground with Kikumaru on top of him, arms tight around his neck and cheek rubbing against his own. "Long time no see, Zen-chan!"

"You're heavy," he managed out in a bored voice, despite the fact that the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Eiji!" Oishi came rushing over, a panicked look on his face as he ushered the third year off. "Are you okay, Kaizen-kun?"

The red-head nodded, accepting the offered hand.

"You don't do that to Kaoru to, do you?" Kira questioned, glancing at the boy beside her who had paused in dusting his uniform off. He wanted to know the answer, as well.

"He tries," Oishi shook his head with a sigh, one hand on his hip. He really was the mother hen of the team. "But Kaoru-kun's reflexes are pretty impressive. He usually misses and lands on Echizen…"

The elder Rojo locked eyes with the blonde, as if to confirm the tale and he promptly nodded, letting her know that it was okay. Even though Kaoru had been with these guys for a year already, she wasn't ready to trust them just yet, not with her fragile baby brother. And she knew Kaizen felt the same way.

Kikumaru edged his way closer to the blonde, poking his side with a wide grin.

Kaoru took the hint and turned to his big sister, his hands twisting the strap of his bag, a sure sign that he was nervous. "Ano… nee-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, Seigaku has a tournament coming up – "

"The regional tournament!" Momo added in, excitedly.

" - And I was wondering if, maybe, I could go?"

Kira and Kaizen exchanged another look. "When is it?"

"In a couple of days." Oishi responded, offering them a small smile. "If you agree, we promise to look after your brother."

"What do you think?" Kira asked the red-headed twin, who simply shrugged in reply.

"Your call."

Kira adapted a blank look as she surveyed the blonde. She could tell with one look that he really wanted to go, but he wouldn't argue if she told him no – that was Kaizen's job, not his. "Alright. But we'll be going, as well."

"Arigatou, nee-chan!" Kaoru smiled greatly, wrapping his thin arms around her waist. She returned the hug, patting the top of his head.

"Well, if you'll excuse us. Ryuuka-san is probably waiting for us by now." Kira nodded to the group before turning and heading toward the entrance – or in this case, the exit. Kaizen said nothing, turning around to follow the older Rojo, while Kaoru bid his goodbyes before running after the pair. The raven haired female walked in between the twins, on hand holding Kaoru's while the other swung freely at her side; he had always been the more affectionate twin, while Kaizen was more emotionless – not like he didn't have them, he just chose not to show them. Kira was a lot like him in that respect. She had the emotions, she just didn't like exposing them for people to trample on, like they had done throughout her school years. Another reason why she was so protective of them, because she didn't want them to experience the same things she had. Even though she loved her father and stepmother, her brothers were her life, and she would never choose anyone over them.

"This tournament… it should be interesting, right?" Kaizen spoke monotonously, his hands clasped behind his head.

"In any case, we should meet some interesting people." She agreed with a small nod.

"Are you going to bring Joey and Toushirou-san?"

"Joey will probably force his way into coming. Shirou will probably politely decline, just to be forced there by Joey."

"Think they will cause a scene?"

"Probably. While Toushirou is _polite_, he has a nasty temper, one that only Joey can spark… and then throw gas on. He's a moron, really."

"Nee-chan, you shouldn't call your friends names." Kaoru scolded lightly, tugging on his sisters hand with a small pout.

"I'm not sure they can be considered friends, Kaoru, but I'm sorry."

"It's okay, nee-chan."

"He is a moron, though." Kaizen added in, making his twin sigh and set a hand to his forehead. _They_ should have been the twins, they were so much alike it was unbearable! "I'll bring my camera."

"Please do."

He sighed again. The siblings he had to deal with…

**!**

Kira was asleep, as anyone would be at two in the morning, her comforter barely covering her as she laid on her side, one arm hanging off the bed. She was a deep sleeper, so she didn't hear when her door was pushed open, or when it was closed. Kaoru walked softly across the hardwood floor of her room, the bed dipping in under his weight when he climbed onto it. His hands shook the female lightly, but he didn't speak her name, too afraid that his voice would crack. It took a bit of effort, but she finally opened her eyes, an annoyed look plastered on her face. It quickly disappeared when Kaoru came into view, biting his lip with watery silver eyes. She sat up quickly, hands on his shoulders to pull him into a hug. His arms wrapped tight around her, his tears falling onto the white t-shirt she wore. This had happened many times over the past years.

It hadn't been happening too much recently, but every couple of months or so, he'd have a nightmare. Not just any random nightmare. The same nightmare over and over again. And every time, he'd wake up on the edge of tears or already crying. At first, he had tried going to Kaizen for comfort, but being the slate of stone that he is, he didn't make him feel much better, so he started running to Kira instead. Her brothers she had no trouble showing her emotions to, even if it meant breaking down and crying _with_ him – something she despised, because it made her feel weak when she's supposed to be strong.

The nightmares started when he was four years old. He had been in the hospital with a bad case of pneumonia. She didn't know the whole story, but apparently the doctors underestimated his case and didn't do enough to help him. For about five seconds, he was dead – which explains her hatred for doctors and hospitals in general. They managed to bring him back to life, but ever since he's had the same recurring nightmare. The only thing is, he refuses to say what happens in the dream. Kaoru is naturally a sensitive kid, though he hides it well, but it's still startling to see him cry.

Kaoru's body shook softly with silent sobs as she stroked his hair, shifting to rest her back against the wall. She whispered comforting words in his ear, running her fingers through his soft blonde hair in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep. The good thing about the situation is that he won't have the dream again for several months, so he has no fear of going back to sleep. Actually, he welcomed it, because it made him forget about the dream, if only temporarily.

His breathing evened out and she slowly lowered him under the cover of the comforter, slowly pulling his arms from around her. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn before sliding down beside him. Within seconds, she was out.

**!**

The time for the regional tournament had arrived, and excitement was rolling off of the Seigaku regulars as the entered Shikinomore sports park. Kaoru was excited as well, his nightmare long since forgotten, but his two siblings watched over him closely just in case.

The regulars approached the sign in table, gaining looks from everyone in the area. Kira raised an eyebrow as she and the twins walked a few feet behind them. Was Seigaku really that intimidating or something? It didn't seem like it to her. Tezuka maybe, but the whole of Seigaku? Not what she would consider 'intimidating'. Of course, she _was_ a high schooler, and had seen plenty of things far scarier than they ever had.

"It's the regional tournament! I'm so nervous." Kachirou, one of Seigaku's freshmen, stood behind the fence watching a rally. He was on the right side of the three.

"Kachirou, why are you nervous? It's not like you're participating." Katsuo stood on the left.

"That's true. I'm just overwhelmed by this moment."

"Seigaku is the number one seed." Horio stood in the middle. "The matches for the other schools have already started, but our school can be late, it's cool."

"It seems like a waste. Since we're already here, we should have watched the other matches to."

"Seigaku is special. S-p-e-c-i-a-l."

Kira didn't know who they were specifically, not being familiar with Seigaku, but she did know they were referred to as the 'freshmen trio'. The boy in the middle was the one who was always going on about his _two years_ of tennis experience, or so Kaoru had mentioned before.

A couple second years walked by them, grabbing their attention and the Rojo siblings'. "Freshmen, wandering around will get you lost."

"The match starts soon. Gather in the court."

"Hai!"

Kaoru grabbed both Kira and Kaizen's hands and followed suit, biting his lip in anticipation.

"Hey, you hear who's gonna be the third singles player?" Katsuo asked excitedly.

"No, but singles one is Tezuka-buchou, then Fuji-senpai is singles two. So it might be Momo-chan-senpai."

"Shouldn't they know the order already?" Kira questioned her younger brother, who shook his head in response.

"Normally the coach will announce it before the game begins. But I think she was having trouble deciding, so no one knows except for Tezuka-buchou and Ryuzaki-sensei."

"Ah."

"It has to be! Echizen can't possibly be the singles three player." Horio went on.

Once we reached the rest of the group, Inui stood before everyone with the list held up so everyone could see. "This is the order we handed in for registration."

"Ah! Tezuka-buchou isn't going to play against Gyokurin?" one of the second years called in surprise. Didn't it make sense to save the captain for a match against a _strong_ team? Gyokurin didn't seem too strong to Kira.

"Is it to keep him for later?" another called before taking the list. "Ah! Echizen and Momo are in doubles?"

Kaoru bit his lip, as if he knew something the others didn't. He didn't speak about Tezuka, but he commented about the doubles pair instead. "Ryoma-kun mentioned something about him and Momo struggling in a doubles match against some guys at the street tennis courts. If I had to guess, I'd say they have been practicing and, possibly, volunteered."

Inui nodded, having heard the blonde. "That is correct. Ryuzaki-sensei had a tough time deciding until the end."

"What's with the direction of the wind?" the second year questioned, more to himself than anyone else.

The regulars were sitting on the bench, going through their things and making sure everything was ready. Kira turned her attention away from the talking second years, toward the red-head and his doubles partner. Oishi simply said the boy's name and he knew exactly what his partner needed, and vice versa. It was quite impressive, and rare, to see people that in synch. She tilted her head to the side in wonder. _They must be close_.

"Most all doubles pairs are close like that, if they've been together for a long time." Kaoru commented after seeing his sisters look of bewilderment.

"So we can't expect the same with Echizen and Momo-chan, then?" Kaizen drawled, lazily clasping his arms behind his head. Kaoru nodded.

Kachirou came up beside the blonde, nodding in agreement. "That's just like the Golden Pair. They have a good harmony."

"Golden pair?" Kira questioned the small boy.

"Ah, you didn't know?" he looked up at her and smiled. "Kikumaru-senpai and Oishi-senpai are called the Golden Pair because of how in synch their doubles are!"

"Heh, that's actually kinda cool… for middle schoolers."

"Oi, Echizen, can you give me that?" Momo caught their attention.

"What's 'that'?" Ryoma responded.

"That! The towel under your behind!"

The three freshman, along with Kaoru, all sweat dropped, while Kira and Kaizen kept their blank expression. They all shared the same thought, though. _Not synchronized at all…_

After waiting a bit longer, the match between the two schools finally began. Kaizen made it a point to lean over the short green wall in a lazy manner, while Kaoru stood beside him, hands on top of the wall. Kira stood beside him, hands in the pockets of her sleeveless hoodie.

"Singles one, Fuji of Seigaku and Suzuki of Gyokurin." The referee called as the two teams faced one another. "Five matches are played. In order to win, three matches must be won. This is Seigaku's first match. Even if someone wins, all five matches will be played."

"Well that's lame." Kaizen drawled.

"What do you mean, Kaizen-senpai?" Kachirou asked, looking at the slumped over boy. The other two were looking at him questionably.

"Even if they win, they still have to play all five matches? Too much work."

"Ah, well…" Katsuo sweat dropped. "It's not like one person is playing all the games, senpai…"

"Feels like it."

"All matches are a one set match!" the ref continued.

"So, what is going to happen?" Ryuzaki-sensei, whom Kira had only met once before, sat on the bench just in front of the wall. The siblings had no problem with her because, knowing of Kaoru's past health conditions and how fragile he is, she had watched over him when the siblings couldn't. For that, they were grateful to her. "Don't think too hard, Tezuka. It's better to relax."

"I understand."

"First match, in doubles: Seigaku's Momoshiro/Echizen pair. Gyokurin's Izumi/Fukawa pair." Came over the loud speaker, and the air grew tense.

"Kaoru-senpai?" Kachirou tugged on the blue and white jersey he wore. "Do you think Ryoma and Momo-senpai can win?"

"It's hard to say…" Kaoru bit his lip. "I've never seen them play before, so I can't really say… it's possible, of course."

The two pairs shook hands, exchanging words they couldn't hear before beginning the match. Kira wasn't sure what to feel, not knowing these people well. She also hadn't been to a tennis match in a long time, so the feeling welling up inside her seemed unfamiliar.

"They are arguing." Inui stated, leaning on the wall on the other side of Kira.

"Oh, now I see the problem." Fuji, naturally, stood on the other side of the wall, a hand to his chin. Kira got a bad feeling about him. He didn't seem like a bad person per say, it was just… something seemed off about him. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him from now on.

"Echizen, let's go with the AH-UN strategy." Momo looked down – like he had a choice – at the first year.

"Okay."

"You know it?" Eiji questioned, without looking back at Inui.

"Iie."

Kira exchanged a glance with Kaoru, who shrugged in response.

"One set match! Gyokurin, Izumi to serve."

"Fight! Fukawa! Izumi! Show them your Gyokurin spirit!"

"Ikie! Momoshiro! Echizen!"

Kira scowled, at the screaming kids. "Oi, Kaizen."

"Hai, nee-chan?"

"I just remembered why I prefer watching tournaments on TV."

"You and me both, nee-chan. We can suffer together, for Kaoru's sake."

Kira nodded in agreement while Kaoru sweat dropped at the dramatic exchange.

The ball was served, easily returned by Echizen. Izumi went in for the kill.

"Go ahead and embarrass yourselves with your shabby combination. Here it goes!" he sent the ball straight down the middle. "It'll go through as usual."

"AH!"

"UN!"

The pair chanted, one after the other as they both headed for the ball. Momo took the swing, sending it down the middle of the opponent's court and scoring the first point of the match.

"He returned it!"

"But, last time…"

"Love-15"

"Momo and Echizen are surprisingly in good harmony." A second year pointed out.

"That was great effort."

"They did it! One point right off the bat!" Kachirou cheered, his fist in the air.

"I thought so. I knew Echizen could do it."

"Heh, not bad." Kira commented, her hand on her chin. "But how long will it last, I wonder?"

"It being Ryoma-kun and Momo-chan… I don't think it will last long." Kaoru mused, folding his arms over his chest. "Demo, I think they can recover if they begin to fall. That's just the kind of guys they are."

The two banged their rackets together.

"Works like a charm!"

"AH!"

"UN!"

"Love-30"

"Hmm, it's certain they have no problems, but…" Horio commented.

"That shout… it's embarrassing."

"Yeah."

"Our blooming doubles technique, it's all thanks to me." Momo gloated.

"I'm the one who decided it." Ryoma commented dryly.

Izumi sent the ball flying into the air, toward the back of the court. Momo took a step back, like he was going to go for it, but stopped, allowing Ryoma to catch the shot instead.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"The other side of the court is exposed like a stripers chest." Kaizen commented, making everyone turn to look at him weird. Kaoru blushed at the statement, hiding his face in his sisters side while she took to glaring at the red-head. "I wonder if they can cover..?"

As expected, the ball was returned to the left side of the court, which was completely open. Both boys ran to grab the ball, and ended up colliding rackets, successfully _missing_ the ball.

"15-30"

"The beginning of the end, aye?" Kira mused.

"They did it." Ryuzaki had a bead of sweat on her cheek as she watched on.

"There's no teamwork anywhere besides the mid court." Tezuka stated. Kikumaru hid his laughter behind his hand.

"I have a bad feeling…"

"Me to."

Izumi served again, lobbing the ball into the air.

"Ah! A weak serve!"

"This is their chance!"

"Yatta! Finish it!"

"They did it on purpose." Oishi observed, making Kaoru nod in agreement.

"Oishi-senpai is right. They're trying to make them lose their composure."

The two from Gyokurin approached the net.

"They're both too close to the net, they can't return the ball!"

Momo hit the ball back to them, but Fukawa easily returned it to the corner. Neither had a chance to respond.

"30 all."

"Teamwork is the most important aspect in doubles." Fukawa told them.

"Let's finish this."

"Go! Gyokurin! Good luck!"

Kaizen twitched. "They've got spirit."

Kira smirked. "Too much, if you ask me."

"Let's cheer to!"

The ball was off again.

Instead of allowing Ryoma to return it, Momo jumped in, leaving the right side of the court wide open _like a stripers chest_, as Kaizen referred to it as. Had they not learned from the first time?

"40-30"

The opponent's seemed to be perfectly in synch, not missing a beat.

"Game Gyokurin. One game to love."

"They lost." Kachirou said sadly.

"Gyokurin is in rhythm." Horio added.

"As expected." Inui appeared behind the three. Kira found it easy to find your attention drawn to him, given his size and strange nature.

"Ah, Inui-senpai!"

"When their formation is ripped apart like that, no matter how strong they are, it's hard to get points." He explained.

"Inui-senpai, is the formation for doubles really that different from singles?"

Kira listened closely, actually finding herself interested. Unlike her two brothers, she didn't know much about tennis, but she was starting to want to learn more. Knowledge _is_ power, they say.

"That's the basic formation of a doubles pair." Inui motioned towards his teammates. "But…"

Gyokurin rushed the net once again.

"Once their formation is broken, people who aren't used to doubles, like Echizen and Momo, will end up exposing one side of the court. In theory, the first one to reach the ball should hit it and the other person should cover the other half of the court. In Momo and Echizen's case, their individual reach is so broad that they'll tend to go after the ball, leaving openings for the opponent to exploit."

Kaoru glanced up at his sister, who was watching the match. He knew she was listening to every word Inui spoke, mulling it over in her mind. It was rare to see her take an interest in something.

"Game, Gyokurin!"

"Wasn't that my ball just now?" Ryoma called, annoyed.

"The person in front can hit, to!" Momo responded back with an attitude.

"If you can't hit a winner, then you shouldn't have hit it." Ryoma turned away from him.

"What'd you say? Got a problem with that?"

And then they were in each other's face. Kira's eye twitched as she fought back the urge to walk up to them and slap them. Morons.

"Seigaku, stop it!" the ref called.

"Ahcha! They're turning on each other."

"Not a good thing…"

"Inui-senpai, for them to make a comeback, what do they need to do?"

"There's no way to beat the combination of Izumi and Fukawa right now." He explained.

"This is bad. If it keeps going on…"

"What to do…"

"Don't worry, it's Echizen we're talking about. I'm sure he has something prepared for doubles."

The sound of something hitting the ground caught their attention. Fuji had knocked over Echizen's bag, and when he picked it up, a green covered book fell out. Fuji, Kikumaru, Inui, and the freshmen trio all gathered around to read what it said on the cover.

"_Too far away_…" Kira muttered.

"In Ryoma-kun's bag…"

"Doubles for beginners."

"Eh?" Horio paused. "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!"

Kira snickered, covering her mouth with a ringed hand. _Beginners… you've gotta be joking!_


	2. Chapter 2

The score was two games to one, Gyokurin in the lead. It didn't really come as a surprise to Kira and Kaizen, but Kaoru seemed to be having a bit of trouble adjusting to the idea that Seigaku's pair just might lose. Did he really care that much about them? Maybe that was a foolish question, Kira thought. Since the day Kaoru met them, he's done nothing but talk about them ever day when he got home from school. Kaizen and Kira had spent countless hours listening to stories about them, so much in fact that they might as well be their own personal stalkers. Still, there was plenty that they didn't understand, even with the knowledge that Kaoru had provided. It made both siblings want to learn more about the group of boys that their brother adored so much. Their habits, strengths, weaknesses… they craved the knowledge that their brother possessed.

"What an embarrassment."

Before changing courts, the Seigaku pair had been brought over to talk to the coach. It was obvious that she wasn't happy with the results thus far. She was another curious one to Kira. Even though she trusted the older woman for promising to take care of Kaoru in her absence, she didn't actually _know_ anything about her, except for the fact that she was Seigaku's coach.

"It's just not working. I know what to do in my head, but my body just reacts differently." Momo explained with a fallen expression. He wasn't happy about how things were going, either. But that was to be expected.

"Iie, instead of the enemy on the outside, the problem is the enemy within. It's messing up my timing." Ryoma, on the other hand, seemed more interested in being annoyed and placing the blame.

"Who is?"

"I just said that it's the enemy within."

"Are you trying to say it was my fault? You're one to talk. It's you who's trying to do too much! Stealing the balls that I'm supposed to hit."

"Momo-senpai is hitting the balls that are coming my way!"

"Nani? Say that again!"

"Would you stop that?" the coach interrupted angrily. Seriously, what was wrong with these kids?

The Gyokurin pair strolled by, laughing at Seigaku. "This is pitiful."

"Easy, Easy!"

Kira watched the old woman's expression change to a smug one as she watched them walk away, still laughing. Her eyes narrowed at the woman as she tried to figure out in her head what she had to be smug about. They were losing, weren't they? Not only the game, but their cool, too. Did they have a secret weapon or a plan that could bring them back? Or maybe she just knew something that the others failed to realize. Whatever it was, it unnerved Kira. She hated not knowing things. It made her feel weak, like she was at a disadvantage. And from the look on Kaizen's face, he was feeling the exact same way. The pair exchanged a glance before looking to their blonde haired brother. Kaoru hadn't noticed her expression, eyes narrowed at the Gyokurin pair. He wasn't angry, per say, just a bit aggravated.

Kira turned her gaze to Seigaku's pair, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing at the angry expressions on their faces. That couldn't be taken seriously with looks like that…

"Don't lose your cool!" Ryuzaki yelled at them, the smug look completely erased. Perhaps she had been proven wrong?

The two pairs returned to the court, lining up. Momo prepared to serve.

"It's just the beginning, there's still time. Go get 'em, Momo! Echizen!" Oishi cheered his teammates on, trying to raise their morale.

Momo threw the ball into the air, hitting it straight into the back of Echizen's head. Kira stifled her laughter when Kaoru glared at her. Well, it couldn't be considered a _glare_, really, but it was close enough. Honestly, did he really think she couldn't _not_ laugh at such a scene? Maybe these middle schoolers were more amusing than she thought.

"Fault."

Ryoma turned around with a tic mark and a pissed off expression.

"Sorry, Sorry." Momo sweat dropped, rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed genuine enough.

"It's ok. Not a big deal."

"This is the worst." Horio complained, his voice making it seem almost like he was whining.

"They're not playing together." Kachirou added in, worried about how the match would end.

Momo served again, managing to send it to his opponents this time. Izumi returned it straight to Ryoma, who managed to hit it back. Just as the ball made its way towards the net, Momo stepped in front of it, getting himself hit in the same manner as he had done to Echizen. Ryoma blinked, unable to believe the scene that just played out. Kira wasn't sure if she should laugh or sweat drop, though she seemed to lean more towards laughing – of course she refrained herself, not wanting to upset her little brother.

"Love-15"

Momo turned to his partner with an angry expression, while Ryoma simply pulled his hat down to cover his eyes.

Kira blinked when an arm swung around her shoulder and a body appeared beside her. Her eyes shifted to the seventeen year old now standing beside her, his emerald green eyes checking out the action on the court. His free hand was on his chin, as if he were truly concentrating – which was highly unlikely, seeing as it was _him_. "Wonder what's happenin' 'ere."

"Isn't it obvious?"

She turned her head to the other side, to a male with chin length white hair and forest green eyes. He, too, was seventeen years old.

"Eh? Is it?"

"There's a match being played."

"Oh, really… I knew that already!"

Kira sighed, turning her eyes back to the match. "Joey. Toushirou. _So_ glad you could make it."

Joey, the blonde with his arm around her shoulder, grinned while running a finger under his nose. "We know. You must 'ave been worried, right?"

"Not really."

He fell to the ground, an annoyed look on his face. His mouth opened to speak again but closed when his eyes landed on Kaoru. Forgetting what he was going to say to her, he launched himself at the younger blonde, picking him off the floor and knocking him from his concentrated state. His silver eyes blinked in surprise at the older boy.

"Joey-san! You really came."

"'Course I did! I couldn't leave Kira 'ere all alone!"

"I wish you would have…"

"And drop those honorifics. They ain't cool, man!"

"That's how people in Japan address other people, Joey-ahou. It's respectful, _something you know nothing about_." Despite how soft Toushirou's voice was, the anger hidden within was clearly visible to the Rojo children, who had known both boys most all of their lives. "If you don't like it, go back to America where you came from."

"Don't be takin' shots at Americans, ass! Kira is American, and her brothers are half!"

"I wasn't talking about _them_, Joey-ahou."

"Stop calling me that, damn it!"

Kaoru sweat dropped, still in Joey's increasing grip. "Onee-chan…"

With a quick slap to the back of his head, Joey released the elder twin, turning to glare at her.

"What was s'at for?"

"You were squeezing my brother too tight."

"Oh, sorry Kao."

"N-No problem."

"Kira-nee-chan. The match." Kaizen looked at her lazily, completely ignoring the existence of the other two boys. This provoked Joey, as it usually did, but he was promptly held back by the white haired Toushirou, who was nearing the end of his rope. But, when having to deal with such an idiot, who could blame him?

"Right, I forgot." She muttered, rubbing the back of her head. Those two tended to make people forget whatever it was they were doing… they were just good like that, but only when they were together. The effect didn't seem to work when it was just one of them, though Joey could still be pretty distracting.

Momo and Ryoma were staring each other down, looking like they were ready to start throwing punches. Though Kira doubted in her mind that middle schoolers were that violent; such a thing was more reserved for the high schoolers, who were more rambunctious than the middle schoolers. Finally, they broke the staring match and walked to opposite ends of their respective side of the court. Everyone looked on in surprise when they used their rackets to draw a line straight down the middle, successfully dividing the court in two.

"What? Momo-senpai was thinking the same thing?" Ryoma spoke with a smirk.

"Looks like it."

Kira blinked at them as Joey came up right beside her, leaning forward with a confused expression as he asked the very same question that was floating in her mind. "Can they really play like that?"

"Well… normally, I don't think that'd work." Kaoru seemed unsure, but continued anyway. "Demo, those two aren't a _normal_ doubles pair. They might be able to work with it."

"Heh, how interesting." Joey smirked, letting his arm rest on Kira's shoulder. She didn't bother shrugging him off.

"Let's stop this confusing thing." Momo demanded with a smile.

"All the balls that come to this side of the line, I'll hit." Ryoma agreed. "I'll leave that side to you."

"Aa, leave it to me."

"And one more thing," Ryoma turned away. "Don't come to this side."

"Even if you ask, I won't go in there."

"Those two… are quite interesting." Kira mused to herself, unknowingly gaining the attention of all four males. She blinked at them when she noticed the sudden spotlight. "What?"

"Oh, Kira is actually takin' an interest in someone! Call the press!"

_Slap_.

"Ouch, what the hell, Kira?"

Kira ignored the aggravated blonde, turning back to the match.

"They divided the court in half." Horio announced, as if to ask if he was the only one seeing it or not.

"It's totally something Ryoma-kun would do."

"Yeah."

The match resumed, Momo serving.

"Here I go, Echizen!"

"Okay."

Fukawa returned the ball, sending it into Ryoma's side of the court.

"If it comes this way, I can't _not _hit it."

Izumi sent it to Momo's side of the court.

"Not yet, not yet."

Fukawa returned again and the neon orb flew towards Echizen.

"What is this? Now that I look closely, there is a hole." He sent the ball flying through the middle, earning the point.

"What a cocky brat." Joey commented, ruffling his hair in annoyance. Even though he himself was beyond cocky, he couldn't stand _other_ people being cocky.

Back and forth it went, Seigaku finally getting back in the groove. It was hard to believe that a simple line could give them back the rhythm they had lost – or possibly never had. Maybe these brats really _were_ special, like Kaoru claimed them to be. Kira believed it was worth finding out, in any case.

"Game, Seigaku."

"Nice shot!"

"Yeah!"

"That's awesome." Horio cried with a smile.

"But how? Did Ryoma-kun do something?" Katsuo questioned the other two freshmen, as if they had the answers.

"They have gone back to their singles play." Inui informed.

"Huh? Singles?"

"Playing two to one would be impossible for our team… but all you need is half of the court to play defense. Summing it up, Momo and Echizen have divided the court in half as if this is a singles match. Now they don't have to worry about each other's play and can now concentrate on the enemy."

"So ka!"

"It's not something normal people would think of, but they can pull it off."

"Oi, Oi. He's pretty tall for a middle schooler, isn't he?" Joey whispered, leaning in close to Kira.

"That's just the kind of card he was dealt. Some are like that." Kira responded, pushing him away. "Don't you remember that fourteen year old back in America, who's already seven feet tall and _still_ growing?"

"I haven't kept up with news from home…" he grinned sheepishly, scratching his cheek with his finger.

"How pathetic." Toushirou commented.

"Nani?"

"They can do it." Kaoru interrupted, leaning forward with his hands tight on the wall. His eyes were shining as he watched them, a smile on his lips. "They can win."

Kira smiled at the excited expression he bore, patting his head lightly. "Yeah, it seems like they can."

The ball was served by Fukawa and returned by Momo, but the pair had already approached the net by the time he connected with it.

"Nothing can get by with our Double Approach." They chorused, perfectly in synch. Fukawa returned the ball.

"Not enough!" Momo hit it easily. "Hit it this way one more time."

"He hit it back!"

They were in shock, but Izumi managed to catch up to it, sending it back over the net.

"Ah, it's going to your side." Momo called out, looking over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about unnecessary things."

"Oi, Oi. Are they really playing doubles as if it was singles?" Fukawa asked in disbelief.

Ryoma returned it again, sending it over Fukawa's head.

"Izumi!"

"Leave it to me!" Izumi jumped into the air to catch the hit, sending it high into the air.

Momo ran forward before jumping up toward the ball.

"There it is… Momo's dunk smash!"

The Gyokurin pair couldn't react as Momo let out a cry, slamming his racket against the ball and sending it smashing down to the court, earning another point for the Seigaku side.

"Dunk smash? That's actually pretty cool." Joey commented, seemingly impressed with Momo. Kira had the itching suspicion that he'd try and make an underling out of Momo… she'd have to watch him and make sure that didn't happen.

"The game has changed, right?"

"Yeah."

Gyokurin continued with their Double Approach strategy, but it wasn't working as well as it had been in the beginning. Momo and Ryoma were fighting back, and they were fighting to win. The score was now five games to two.

"Damn, that is not doubles! I will not admit defeat!" Fukawa cried, returning the ball to Momo.

"Here you go." He jumped up, sending another dunk smash their way. They couldn't even react.

The ball was served again, Ryoma returning it to their court.

"Izumi, don't hit it with that height. It's definitely out."

"Okay."

"That's too bad. It's going to be in." Ryoma called, his arm still held up in the air and the rim of his cap covering his eyes. That smirk said it all, though. Sure enough, the ball curved and landed inside, completely surprising their opponents. "Ne. Doubles is pretty fun."

"That's not really doubles…"

"Hey hey, hit it!"

"**Come on**."

"Oi, he just spoke English!" Joey cried, pointing an accusing finger at the cocky brat that he was beginning to _really_ dislike. "Kira, he spoke English!"

"I heard him."

"I didn't know he could do that!"

"Ryoma-kun spent several years in America." Kaoru explained, not taking his eyes off the match.

Kira glanced at him. _If this continues, Kaoru'll probably end up joining the team_.

"Right in the middle, the line in between them!" Fukawa cried as he hit the ball, aiming it for the middle of the court.

"Baka! That's…"

The ball landed right beside the line, bouncing back up.

"AH!"

"UN!"

Both boys went after the ball, but Ryoma held back, letting Momo return it to the opponent's court.

"Game and match, Seigaku."

"They did it, they did it!" the freshmen cheered, jumping up and down.

"Onee-chan, they did it!" Kaoru cried, throwing his arms around Kira's neck while letting out a laugh. His feet didn't touch the ground, her being several inches taller than him. She smiled, patting his back. No one had seen him this excited in a while, but it brought a smile to the faces of everyone in their little group, even the two nearly emotionless boys, Kaizen and Toushirou.

Momo and Ryoma clashed rackets together, clearly satisfied with their victory.

"Of course if you're a man…"

"…it's doubles."

"I can't believe they won." Kawamura commented with a mix of surprise and happiness.

"Playing doubles only in the middle." Fuji was all smiles, as usual.

"You guys are ridiculous." Izumi said once the four approached the net.

"I told you, we learn fast."

"Hmm, you guys sure can talk."

"If you ever want to play doubles again, just come to the street tennis court."

"Ja, should we go again?"

"Sure."

"Street tennis courts? Oi, Kao, you know where that's at?" Joey asked, leaning down to be eye level with the boy still clinging to his older sister.

"Iie, but I can ask Ryoma-kun later." Kaoru smiled brightly.

"You do that, kid." Joey grinned, ruffling the younger boy's hair.

"Oi, Joey. Check that out." Kira nodded to the bench where Ryuzaki had Momo's cheek pinched in one hand, and Ryoma's in the other.

"You idiots! Good thing you won, but think about the people that are sitting here watching the game."

Joey snickered. "Poor brats. That's one scary broad."

"I don't think she'd appreciate being called a _broad_, Joey."

"S' the truth."

Instead of sitting on the bench, the pair were forced to sit on the ground, on their knees. Kaidoh, Fuji, and Kawamura sat behind them on the bench. The first was glaring at empty space, while the other two were stifling their laughter.

"Hey, look look. The Seigaku's doubles pair, even though they won the game, are getting punished."

"I'm not playing doubles anymore." Momo declared, his cheeks flushed from the attention and a drop of sweat on his cheek.

"Me to." Ryoma was looking the exact same way.

The next match was Doubles 1, with Kikumaru and Oishi, who quickly dominated the court. They were perfectly in synch, not faltering once. The game seemed to fly by, as they didn't allow their opponent's to score. It was insane, but now Kira understood why Seigaku's 'golden pair' was such a big thing. She had to admit, they were pretty impressive. Strong, too. But was that the extent of their strength? She couldn't help but wonder.

"Game and match, Seigaku six games to love."

"They're so strong… it ended in a blink of an eye. They are definitely Seigaku's golden pair."

"If you thought that was Seigaku's doubles…" Oishi started with a smile.

"…We'd be in trouble." Eiji finished.

"Don't mind, don't mind. There is nothing we can do about doubles. We'll win with singles." Izumi called to his teammates. He must have been the captain.

"Something tells me they won't be winning singles, either." Kira commented, looking to Kaoru for confirmation. The blonde, who had released her when the golden pair's match began, sent her a smile and an affirmative nod.

Singles 3 was next, with Kaidoh, or 'viper' as he was nicknamed. When he approached, he sent a terrifying look toward his opponent. The fear was written all over the poor boy's face. Even Joey had jumped back, clinging to Kira's arm when the look was sent.

"I don't want to!" the opponent cried, looking to Izumi and Fukawa for support.

"Come back alive!"

"What horrible motivation." Toushirou commented dryly, a look of boredom on his face as he examined Izumi.

Singles 3 went by just as quickly as the golden pair's match had. In a blink of an eye, it was over.

"Game and match, Seigaku. Six games to love."

"Hmm. Doubles 2, 6-2. Doubles 1, 6-0. Singles 3, 6-0. Pretty dominating, if I do say so myself." Joey spoke up with pride, making Kira raise a brow at his stupidity.

"You're acting as if you were somehow apart of that."

"Of course I was! Didn't ya see that the game started to turn around when** I **arrived? I influenced the brats to do better! They wanted to impress me!"

Kira and Toushirou both raised their hands, hitting him hard in the head. "Don't be an idiot."

"Onee-chan… Shirou-nii…" Kaoru sweat dropped. "You shouldn't be so violent…"

"Not violent? Violent is that girl's nature!" Joey cried, kneeling down and holding his head in pain. "And why are you calling **him** nii? I should be more of a nii than him!"

"Idiots deserve to be hit."

"I second that."

"No one's afraid to claim Toushirou."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Kira and Toushirou high fived with no enthusiasm and no emotion, making Kaoru sweat drop again, holding his hands up in defeat. They were insane enough by themselves, but when they got together… what a headache.

Singles 2 was Kawamura, who seemed a bit too soft for the sport. He seemed almost… _scared_, and not motivated at all.

"Taka-san, relax." Oishi called to him as the brown headed boy walked toward the net.

"N-Nice to meet you." Kawamura rubbed the back of his head. His attitude was clearly making the opponent get cocky.

"Taka-san, here. You forgot this." Oishi called again, throwing him his racket. "Your source of energy."

"Jeez, what kind of player is that?" Joey scowled. "He's got no energy at all."

Kaoru bit his lip to stifle his laughter. "Just watch. You might be pleasantly surprised."

Kira raised an eyebrow, but didn't voice her question, choosing to keep her eyes on the male that strangely reminded her of a puppy.

Kawamura caught the racket in both hands. "Ah, Gomen Oishi."

The once calm aura faded, only to be replaced by a fiery aura, surprising the small group.

"What the hell…" Kira muttered, her eyes wide.

"Great-o! I feel the fire **burning**!"

_He just did a complete 360! What in the hell is with these kids?_ Kira glanced at Kaoru again, who wasn't at all surprised at the change. Though, she supposed that was natural. He had probably seen him play a million times already.

"Woah! Is he bi-polar or what?" Joey cried, squeezing himself beside Kaoru to take a closer look.

Kawamura's opponent blinked in disbelief, not looking too forward to the match anymore.

Sure enough, Seigaku dominated once more with a 6-0 win.

"Game and match, Seigaku."

"I didn't know tennis flew by this fast. I thought it was the same time as a football game." Joey whistled, leaning his arms on the wall.

"Baka, this is nothing like football. The match varies depending on how strong the opponent is. There's no set time limit." Toushirou scoffed, ignoring the glare sent his way. "A tennis match can go on for hours, while a football match has four quarters, each fifteen minutes long. When the time runs out, the game is over. They are two completely different subjects. Comparing them is something only an _idiot_ would do."

"Why you – "

"Let it go, already." Kira muttered.

Singles 1 was Fuji, and boy, he didn't even give the guy a chance to actually play! Kira watched him as he returned to the bench, that same eerie smile on his face that hadn't left since he arrived. He was definitely someone to watch out for…

And just like that, the game against Gyokurin was over.

The teams lined up on either side of the net as the referee called out the score.

"Doubles 2-0. Singles 3-0. Total is 5-0, Seigaku wins. Bow once."

"Thank you." Both teams chorused.

"Che. Well, this was a waste of time. How boring!" Joey turned around, leaning his butt back against the wall and looking toward the blue sky. "Tennis is so _boring_~"

"Stop whining. You sound stupid." Toushirou scolded.

"It's boring to you, because you're used to the pace of an American footballer. Kaoru likes it, so shut up." Kira glared at him in place of her brother, who was trying to ignore the three high schoolers.

"Kira-nee." Kaizen tugged on her hoodie. "I'm thirsty."

"Yeah yeah, me to!" Joey beamed at her. "Buy me something to drink, nee-chan!"

Kira's response was a knee to his gut. "Freeloader."

Kaoru patted Joey's shoulder in sympathy as he curled up in a ball on the ground before following the rest of the group, who had all abandoned the male without a second thought. When he caught up, he frowned at his sister. "You really shouldn't be so violent, onee-chan."

"He was askin' for it." She muttered, pulling out some change for Kaizen, who immediately swiped it and migrated to the vending machine. Kaoru did the same, but in a more polite manner, thanking his sister before following after his twin. Toushirou stood beside her silently, his arms folded over his chest.

"Middle schoolers are stronger than I remember."

"We were pretty strong in middle school, too. Just a different kind of strong." Kira commented. "I guess it's just the generation."

"They're gonna go far. The question is, how far will they go? And are we going to stick around to see it?" he glanced at her. "Should we stick around, Kira?"

"Hmm, I think we should. I'm quite interested to see how things will turn out."

"You've become interested in them, have you?"

"Interested in who?" Joey appeared, shoving them apart and forcing himself in between them. Being used to her attacks, he was able to recover a lot quicker than most people. He deemed that a special skill of his. "Kira got a crush? Who is it?"

"None of your business!" they chorused, hitting him in the head once more.

**!**

While the twins, Joey and Toushirou were relaxing in the shade somewhere, Kira decided to walk around and explore a bit. Mainly to get away from Joey and allow her nerves to build back up; a person could only handle so much of him before they wanted to kill him, and she was close to doing just that. Her eyes swept over the other teams and matches as she passed by them, but she didn't bother staying to watch. Seigaku was the only team she was interested in.

When she came to a fountain, she decided to sit down and relax, letting the sound of the water relax her. There weren't too many people in this area, so it was relatively quiet, just the way she liked it. Though she was close friends with Joey and Toushirou, she was a loner who preferred to be alone. She liked it better that way, and working in a group was something she tended to avoid. That's not to say that she _couldn't _or _wouldn't _be in a group.

Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming her way, but she didn't bother opening her eyes. If they needed something from her, they'd get her attention, and if not, she would pretend they weren't there. Why bother ruining such a peaceful moment if she didn't have to?

The sound grew closer and louder until, finally, it stopped right in front of her.

"Excuse me," the voice was soft, but held authority. It was like Tezuka's voice, but with more care and emotion. She opened her eyes to look at the boy standing in front of her, a bottle of water in his hand. He smiled softly at her. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Kira didn't bother asking why he wanted to sit next to her, even though there was plenty of fountain space, instead choosing to shrug off his question. "I don't care."

He nodded with a small 'thank you', sitting a few inches apart from her, his elbows on his knees as he looked thoughtfully at the bottle. She watched him closely, wondering what was on his mind. For some reason, she felt kind of drawn to this boy, so she did something she wouldn't normally do.

"You seem pretty bothered by something." She commented, looking away from him.

He looked at her in surprise before smiling softly, though it seemed to hold a twinge of sadness in it. "You could say I have a lot on my mind. Though I wouldn't want to bother you with such things."

"Your life." She murmured, propping her chin in her hand.

A moment of silence passed.

"What's your name?"

"Hmm?"

"Your name."

"Rojo Kira."

"Nice to meet you, Rojo-san."

"Please, drop the formalities. I hate them."

"Kira-chan, then."

"Better. How about you?"

He sent her a friendly smile. "Tachibana Kippei."

* * *

><p>I appreciate any type of feedback you can give me, because it only helps me improve and that's just what I need :) I hope you enjoyed the second chapter~! Also, I wanted to give a brief warning that Kira will <em>probably<em> end up being involved with someone (I'm leaning toward Choutarou right now).

**Weirdmusician** - No, you're not. I intend to add a couple filler chapters later on, explaining how Kaoru met Seigaku. Also, possibly a chapter on how Kira met Joey and Toushirou.

**Ciel Blanche** - Well, the twins are in their second year of middle school, so they are about 14 years old. Kira is in her last year of high school and is 18 years old.

Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Kira stifled a yawn as she sat on the fountain, letting herself rest against Kaizen, who was standing beside her. Seigaku, along with her brothers and two friends, had all migrated toward the fountain, a sort of meet up before their next match. The boy that she had been sitting with, Tachibana, had long since walked away, saying something about having to meet up with his team or something. She never did get the name of it, then again, she never bothered to ask. It was really of no concern to her.

"Huh? Kakinoki junior high school lost?" Momo asked the three freshmen in disbelief. "That's not right. They were the runner-up last time."

"It's true, Momo-chan-senpai." Horio pointed somewhere behind him and the two at his side nodded in confirmation. "It's written on the board."

"Oi, Kira." Joey scooted next to her, his hand cupping his mouth as he whispered to her. "Explain what's goin' on 'ere."

"What's there to explain?" she sighed, running a hand through her black hair. "It's middle school stuff. What're you askin' me for?"

"Kakinoki has a strong tennis team." Kaoru explained, instantly gaining the blonde's attention as he nodded repeatedly, a look of intense concentration on his face. "They came in second only to Seigaku in the last tournament. The fact that they lost is a little unsettling… I wonder who they lost to."

"Fudomine junior high." Katsuo answered with a glance to Kaoru.

"They were unseeded."

"Fudomine chuu? The same Fudomine that had to withdraw last year?" Kawamura questioned.

"Eh?"

"I'm curious, to! Why'd they withdraw?" Joey butt in, squeezing in next to Oishi, who sweat dropped at the intrusion.

"Ano… not to be rude, but… who are you?"

"Spencer Joey, nice to meet cha!" the blonde clapped the fukubuchou on the shoulder. "I'm the reason you guys won ya last match!"

"You are?" Momo blinked, wondering what the hell the blonde was talking about.

"'Course! You all started playin' better after I arrived!" he grinned, puffing out his chest. "S'only natural, with the kinda influence I have on kids."

_Slap_.

The blonde hit the floor with a groan, making everyone turn to the white haired male, who bowed in apology. "Please excuse him. He was dropped on his head several times as a child, and has since been suffering from delusions."

"The hell I have!"

"Onee-chan!" Kaoru tugged on the sleeve of her hoodie, giving the female a pleading look.

With a sigh, she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Watch your language, **you're in the presence of children**."

"You tellin' me you ain't gonna cuss, just 'cause these brats are around?"

"Slipping is fine. But all out cussing just for the hell of it is unnecessary."

"Are you serious? You just said 'hell'!"

"That's not technically a cuss word."

"My ass, it ain't!" _Slap_. "Ow! Stop doing that!"

"Do forgive us." Toushirou bowed again, gaining the middle schoolers' attention. "My name is Guro Toushirou. Joey-ahou and myself attend Rikkai Daigaku High school alongside Kira. I am a third year, and since Joey-ahou is an idiot, he was held back and is currently in his second year _again_."

"Oi! You didn't have to go that far!"

"You asked for it."

"_You think you're so special_…"

"Oh, so these are your friends, Kira-chan." A bead of sweat rolled down Oishi's cheek. "That makes sense…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scowled, rubbing the back of her head. "It's not my fault idiots flock toward me."

"Who you callin' an idiot?"

"The fact that you responded to that, when she clearly said no names, proves that you are, in fact, an idiot."

"Shut up, Toushi!"

"**Don't**.Call me that."

"Toushi! Toushi! Toush – Ow, damn it!"

Kaoru sighed, resting his hand against his face. Kaizen had taken to playing some game on his cell phone and wasn't bothering to pay attention. Kira was looking away as if she didn't know the pair. And the Seigaku group was staring at them with mixed expressions, clearly not understanding how to take in the high schoolers before them.

"Are all high schoolers crazy, Kira-senpai?" Momo questioned, glancing at her with a creeped-out look.

"Mostly. You get used to it after a while, especially if you _become_ the crazy."

"Become the crazy?"

"That's right!" Joey threw his arm around Kira, earning a small grunt from the female. "You know the old sayin', _If you can't beat 'em, join 'em_!"

"I'd really rather not be associated with you, thanks…" she shrugged his arm off.

Inui walked up before the blonde could retort, successfully grabbing everyone's attention. "I went to scout out Fudomine's match. They are a completely different Fudomine from last year. All the members are new regulars, expect the third year captain. The key factor of their success is the masterful leadership of their buchou, Tachibana Kippei."

Kira's ears picked up the name and her dark purple eyes darted to the tall male, narrowed as she replayed what he had said. So the boy she met earlier was the enemy? He didn't really seem like a threat to her. Sure, he seemed a bit troubled, but he didn't seem like such a bad kid.

"Also, the six unknown second year members beat Kakinoki in straight sets."

"The final… doesn't seem like it'll be easy." Fuji commented, a bit of excitement lacing his voice.

"But if it's Seigaku, there should be no problem against a beginner." Horio said with determination. "We'll crush them and win the tournament."

"Ne, Horio-kun." Katsuo grabbed his shoulder, but the boy didn't listen, shaking his hand off.

Joey and Kira exchanged a look.

"It's ok, let me talk. Seigaku can't lose to unseeded, unknown players!"

"Hey, listen to me."

"What is it? You're annoying." Horio complained, only to let out a cry when he realized who was standing in front of them, hearing every word that had come from his mouth. "F-Fudomine?"

"I sense trouble brewing~" Joey clicked his tongue but Kira ignored him, her eyes focused on the front man of the group, whom she had met earlier. Tachibana Kippei. He looked different now than before. Stronger, more commanding. Was it because he was with his team now, and not alone? Kira didn't know.

After several suspense-filled seconds passed, Tachibana finally spoke up. "Are you Tezuka from Seigaku?"

"That's right." Tezuka's stoic expression did not waver.

"I am captain Tachibana from Fudomine."

Surprisingly enough, Tachibana held his hand out to shake. Kira faintly heard Joey mutter, _'And here I thought they were gonna throw down'_ under his breath, but again, she ignored him.

Tezuka, without changing his expression, lifted his hand and placed it into Tachibana's.

"Let's have a good match."

"Aa."

"What kind of kid is that emotionless? Jeez." Joey scoffed, his hands on his hips as he leaned forward with narrowed eyes directed at Tezuka.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask Kaizen?"

He blinked. "Ah, I forgot about that!"

"…"

"Whoa, it was touch and go for a second there." Kachirou breathed out in relief, a hand to his heart. Freshmen were scared so easily, like little does were.

"They look strong."

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"I-I was too scared to move." Horio was on the ground, his hands on his lower back and tears in his eyes.

Fudomine started to migrate away from the group. The boy in the very back, with dark blue hair, caught the attention of the freshmen as he bounced a tennis ball on the side of his racket.

"The guy at the back isn't even looking and he's pulling off such an amazing technique."

"Fudomine is amazing."

"Oi, look!" Joey nudged Kira in the side, making her slam her foot into his. He grunted in pain, but otherwise kept his eyes on Seigaku's shrimp who was sitting on a nearby bench, legs crossed, eyes closed and drinking a Ponta while pulling off the same trick as the Fudomine kid. Kira's lips twitched, _he's doing that on purpose_.

"Cocky brat." Joey growled, fist clenched and eyes narrowed.

"Echizen is provoking them." Horio leaned forward after finally getting back on his feet.

"After playing doubles and sitting out as a substitute, he's got a lot of stress bottled up." Inui explained, causing a chuckle to move through Seigaku.

Fudomine continued on their way without a word to the cocky freshman. Kira could feel Joey's disappointment as she watched the group disappear.

"Do you want to see a fight that bad? Go to the streets or something." She muttered. "Or go find _him_, he's always fighting someone."

"Hmm, middle schoolers aren't as violent as I remember." He murmured, a hand on his chin. "And I'd rather jump off a cliff than see _him_!"

"It wasn't them that was violent. It was you." Toushirou commented, glancing at Kira. Why did she seem so interested in Fudomine? Her senses were always spot on, thanks to her past. But what was it that she was sensing from those kids? He made a mental note to ask her later, when the two were alone.

"Will you let me know when you're going to jump? I'd like to put that on YouTube." Kaizen butt in without any emotion, staring blankly at the blonde.

"You little – " Joey grabbed the younger twin around the neck, giving him a noogie.

"Kira-nee. Can you.. _itai_, go find… _itai_, Joey-san a… _itai_, cliff please?"

"I'll get right on that, Kaizen."

"Let the poor child go."

"Make me – "

_Slap_.

**!**

"Understand this: We'll face Fudomine in the finals, and they're nothing like the opponents we've been facing." Ryuzaki explained as she stood in front of her team – and the extras.

"Hai!"

"It's final. Doubles 2: Fuji, Kawamura. Go get the first win. Doubles 1: Oishi, Kikumaru. Singles 3: Kaidoh. Don't lose. Singles 2: Ryoma. Go wild. And singles 1: Tezuka."

With the lineup announced, the team headed toward the court, settling on the bench as Kawamura and Fuji headed onto the court for their match.

"Hmm, I wonder if these brats are really any good." Joey leaned on the wall, one hand over his eyes as he scouted out Fudomine.

Toushirou, who stood next to Kira, spoke up in a lowered voice so only she would hear him. "What do you think?"

"About?"

"Fudomine."

"There's something strange… about them, about their captain."

"Strange?"

She shook her head, closing the subject and focusing on the match. Truthfully, she couldn't give him an answer; she didn't know what it was herself. All she knew was that she got a strange vibe off that boy, and it was going to drive her crazy until she found out. That was something she had gained from her father; if her curiosity was peaked, it would bug the hell out of her until it was satisfied, like a hungry cat watching a bird in its cage. It could be quite frustrating, but she had learned how to live with it.

"One set match, Fudomine's Sakurai to serve."

The ball was served, and Kawamura rushed after it. "Yosha! I feel the fire **BURNING**!"

"I wonder if he's ever been checked for bi-polar disorder."

"How does an idiot like you even know what bi-polar disorder is?"

"Shut up! I know things, to, ya know!"

"Then why were you held back a year?"

"Shut up!"

The other boy, Ishida, returned the ball, only to have it hit by Fuji. He couldn't make the hit, and called back to his teammate who rushed to make the return.

"30-15"

"An intense top spin." Tezuka stated.

"They must be strong to be able to do that." Ryuzaki added.

_Yes, they're definitely strong_, Kira thought, _But there's something more behind it. What is it?_

Her eyes shifted at the sign of movement, following Tachibana as he got up and started to walk away.

"Isn't he the captain? Shouldn't he stay seated during the match?" Eiji questioned after the boy had passed by them.

"Aa, it's surprising."

"You were insulted, Tezuka." Ryuzaki announced, her eyes closed.

"It's a service ace!"

Seigaku looked toward the court in shock at the sudden announcement.

"40-15"

Kira turned away, going down the same path that Tachibana had just seconds before. Joey made a move to follow her, but Toushirou grabbed his arm and shook his head. The blonde gave a defeated look before reclaiming his spot beside Kaoru, who was watching his sister walk away with a worried expression. She wouldn't do anything to that boy, would she? He wouldn't do anything to her, would he? He couldn't be sure, but he couldn't go after her, either.

_Be careful, onee-chan_.

When Kira reached the black haired boy, she found him sitting in the exact same place as earlier, with an exception; Inoue, whom she had briefly met the very same morning, was standing in front of him, holding a bottle of cider out. Tachibana looked up in surprise.

"Want a drink?"

The surprised look quickly melted to one of defense. "No, I'm fine."

"You are Fudomine's Tachibana-kun?" the older man took a seat beside him, holding out the bottle. The middle schooler locked eyes with Kira before looking away. "You guys are like the bubbles inside this bottle. A girl gave me this and told me that. What does it mean?"

"So what?"

"Don't go on the defensive like that." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Kira fought the urge to roll her eyes – that's not how you get someone to lower their defenses. "I am not from a newspaper nor am I a scandalizer. I am a normal reporter from a tennis magazine." He pulled out a business card to show him. "I just want to ask you something to satisfy my personal curiosity…" he grew serious, and the younger boy lowered his head, eyes closed as if he knew what the reporter was going to ask. "…About last year's violent incident."

"Violent?" Kira repeated without meaning to, making the reporter jump in surprise. Had he really not noticed her?

The older man went to reply, but Tachibana cut him off, locking eyes with the older girl. "You're curious, to?"

With a nod, Kira approached the two, plopping down onto the blue bench that sat in front of them and setting her ankle on her knee. Whatever it was that he was going to tell them, Kira's curiosity was growing to its absolute maximum. Tachibana seemed hesitant, though, almost like he was searching for the right words.

"I promise you," Inoue spoke up, trying to ease the tension. "I won't write an article on it. And I'm sure Rojo-san won't say anything either, right?" he glanced at her, but she didn't respond.

"Then why?"

"I just want to know the secret behind Fudomine's strength. I am a reporter for a tennis magazine. I don't write anything that doesn't involve tennis. The girl who gave me this told me… '_the current Fudomine members look plain from the outside, but they have a lot of strength bottled up inside_'. Maybe last year's incident has something to do with your strength. That's what I think. Am I wrong?"

Tachibana didn't answer. Kira monitored his expression carefully.

"You assaulted your instructor, which led to the withdrawal from last year's tournament. That's all I know, but that doesn't concern me."

Kira whistled lowly. Joey would probably be happy to hear that there was a violent middle schooler on the loose, but she didn't feel so sure about that. He may have had a violent moment, but he didn't seem like the kind of kid who went around senselessly fighting people, like Joey had in his youth.

"Inoue-san."

"Hmm?"

"Can you promise me you won't write this is an article?"

"Aa."

"Kira-chan. Can you promise to keep this to yourself?"

She didn't answer at first, making Inoue look at her expectantly. Joey would be bugging the hell out of her to spill it, since he seemed to always know when people had secrets they couldn't tell. Toushirou and Kaoru would leave her be if she told them to. And Kaizen wasn't a problem at all. She could just as easily lie and then turn around telling Joey everything, so he won't get on her last nerve. But no, Kira wouldn't do that. She still had her own morals and pride; she wasn't the kind of person to go back on her word.

She nodded her head. "If anyone finds out, it won't be from me."

Tachibana closed his eyes as he recalled the incident.

**Half a year ago…**

The freshmen of the tennis team stood inside the faculty room, trying to appease to the coach.

"You want to participate in the newcomer's tournament? Did I make that promise?"

"You said we can be the regulars if we beat the seniors." Sakurai spoke up.

The coach leaned over, putting out his cigarette. "Well then… You guys are freshmen, you should only be picking up balls."

There was nothing they could respond with. Instead, they stood there watching as Tachibana approached the man, handing him a slip of paper.

"Eh? What is it?"

"I transferred to this school today. My name is Tachibana Kippei, a sophomore."

**!**

As instructed, the freshmen stood back picking up balls and practicing their swings while their senpai stood in a corner of the court, laughing and talking bad about the freshmen. One of them walked up, hitting the red head and sending him to the ground.

"Kamio!" his fellow freshmen surrounded him, trying to make sure their friend was okay.

"Don't go harassing the instructor! You guys should learn the sports club's customs and traditions."

"**I couldn't forgive them. The instructor who didn't care, and the second and third year talentless regulars who abuse their seniority, giving the pure-hearted freshmen who just wanted to play tennis a hard time."**

"Ball boys, start working harder." The seniors purposely hit the balls over the fence, knowing the first years would be forced to find and retrieve them. "Show some more spirit! Why don't you go for a run, 20 laps around the field."

Kamio glared at his seniors, but before he could move, Tachibana stepped in front of him. "You guys are the ones who should run laps."

"Nani? Tachibana, teme…"

"You've got guts."

"Please play a game with me, senpai." Tachibana announced with unwavering determination and courage. "But if you lose, you guys should run 20 laps around the field, senpai."

"This sucks, why are they getting all serious?" the elder members started to walk away, no longer wanting to deal with the younger boys.

Tachibana looked over his shoulder at the freshmen. "Those who think they are better than me, step forward."

The freshmen looked at him in surprise before looking at each other; they didn't know what to think. Slowly, the group approached the second year, smiles on their faces. They had found new hope.

**!**

"Nani? All the freshmen are boycotting this one and formed another tennis club?"

"Looks like their leader is Tachibana."

After hearing the news, the regulars went after the freshmen and the second year, destroying their court before beating them down.

"We let you off easy last time, Tachibana, but you just don't learn, do you?"

"Don't even think about retaliating, guys." Tachibana warned his team.

"You guys are annoying!" the coach approached the scene, acting like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "What's this talk about a new tennis club? Freshmen should just be quiet and pick up balls 'til next spring. You worthless punks!" he threw his cigarette onto the ground, putting it out with his foot. A cocky grin made its way onto his face as he looked to the regulars. "The freshmen started it."

Tachibana stood up, having had enough.

"Tachibana-san?"

"You have no right to be an educator!" and with that, the second year attacked the older man, knocking him to the ground.

The news of the incident spread like wildfire, but soon after, the freshman and Tachibana, all bruised and bandaged up from the fight, found themselves on their way to the faculty office once more.

"Tachibana-san was the one who told us not to retaliate." Kamio spoke with a humor laced voice, a smile on his face.

"Shut up. It's not like you guys didn't go crazy after that." Tachibana grinned back. "We're going to submit the request form for a new tennis club, so stand up straight."

"I wonder if they'll agree to it."

"We'll just have to wait 'til they okay it. Let's go for it, All-Japan!"

**Present Time…**

"I see." Inoue spoke with a sympathetic voice.

"The instructor and students, who didn't have an interest for tennis from the start, all left the club." Tachibana explained.

"So ka. That incident has become the base of your strength. Thanks for letting me confirm it."

"You're wrong."

"Eh?"

"That was just the catalyst." Tachibana stood up. "The past is the past. All we want to do now is beat everyone that faces us. That's all."

He paused as two boys walked by, talking about one of their matches.

"Seigaku will go on the offensive soon. So I'll take my leave now." He started to walk away, pausing by Kira. "If you support Seigaku, you should get back as well."

But Kira didn't hear what he said. She felt angry towards those bastards that had bullied Tachibana and his team. Even though she herself was once a violent person, who had no problem beating the holy hell out of someone, she never once put her hands on someone who didn't deserve it. One thing she couldn't stand was a bully. Normally, she was a pretty relaxed – or a blank person, if you will -, but that didn't mean she didn't have a temper. It just took a lot to stroke it and get it blazing. But bullying, especially of someone weak or innocent, was something that set her off like nothing else. Now she understood why she felt so drawn to Fudomine, to Tachibana. It was that overwhelming instinct to protect someone who had been bullied and hurt in the past. It pissed her off.

All she could say was that those bastards were damn lucky she hadn't been around, or they may not be alive right now.

"Are you returning to the match?" Inoue questioned as he got to his feet, bringing the teen from her thoughts. "We can go together."

Kira took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before bringing herself to her feet. Without a word to the older man, the pair started off toward the match. Once in sight, she immediately migrated toward her own group, who was giving her curious looks, wondering where she had gone. She reclaimed her place beside Toushirou, ignoring their looks and keeping her eyes on the court. That was, until, Kaoru stepped up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting his head rest on her chest. He could tell instantly how tense his sister was, and he didn't like it. He wanted to know what was wrong, but knew she wouldn't tell him. Kaizen reacted the same way, walking over and grabbing her hand, lacing his fingers with her own.

Kira glanced at Tachibana, who had resumed his position of watching the match. She had every intention of catching up with him after the battle between Seigaku and Fudomine had come to a close. She just needed to think of a way to speak to him without her group or Seigaku being around because, after all, she intended to keep her promise.


End file.
